Adjustable vapor-discharge device.



PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

1?. H. THOMAS.

ADJUSTABLE VAPOR DISCHARGE DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 20. 1903.

Mmeooeo amoemtoz Zllilo. recess. Patented. February 28, 190s.

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY H. THOMAS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSQIGNOR TO COOPER HEWITTELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEl V YORK.

SPEGIFIGA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,483, datedFebruary 28, 1905. Application filed February 20,1903- Serial No.144,199.

77) M77107? 73/? il 00710877" or other conducting material arranged near5 Be it known that 1', PERCY H. THOMAS, a one or both of the electrodesor a strip oi citizen of the United States, and a resident of similarmaterial occupying the same position.

Pittsburg, countyof Allegheny, State ofPenn- It is found that thestarting-band is most clsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulfective for reducing the noedt'nl amount of improvementsinAdjustableVapor-Discharge critical strain when it is placed in closeprox- Devices, of which the following is a specificaimity to thenegative electrode, and the necestion. sary strain is increased when thestarting- The qualities of the Cooper Hewitt gas or band is placedFarther away from the elec- IO vapor electric apparatus which adapt itto trodc.

serve the purposes of a spark-gap are already It is the object of thepresent invention to well known. it is known, for example, that providemeans whereby a vapor-(iischarge do apparatus of this character may beso convice ol this general character may be ,con: structed as to requirea high voltage in order structed so as to be adj ustable--that is tosay,

5 to break down the reluctance to starting which so that a given devicemay be adapted to disappears at the electrode, which for the time chargeunder diflerent pressures. 5 being is the negative electrode. Thevoltage The invention is illustrated in the accomrequired for breakingdown this reluctance panying drawings, in. which----- may be accuratelypredetermined by suitable Figure 1 is an elevation of an adjustable 2Omodifications in the construction of the appavapor-discharge deviceadapted to permit disratus so that, for example, an apparatus cancharges in one direction only, and Fig. 2 is a 7 be made in which theinitial reluctance will similar view of adevice permitting discharges bebroken down by a current of ten thousand in opposite directions. voltsor any other selected electrical pressure In the drawings, 1 is asnitablecontainer in- 5 within limits. By a proper arrangement ofclosing a conducting gas or vapor and protheelectrical connections to anapparatus of vided with suitable electrodes 2 and 3. These this sort itmay be capable of acting as a diselectrodes are here represented asbeing of charge device for currents of opposite direc mercury, althoughit is not desired to limit tion, as may be desired. Hitherto it has beenthe invention to the employment of mercury 3 customary to construct eachapparatus for a terminals only. The electrodes 2 and 3 are delinitebreaking-down voltage and to adapt connected, respectively, toloading-in wires it 30 it in other respects either to permit dischargesand 5 and through those wires to the conducin one direction only or inboth directions. tors 6 and 7 of-an electric circuit.

The reluctance to starting which exists in On the outside of thecontainer 1, as shown 35 these devices appears in the first instance atin Fig. 1, and in proximity to the negative the negative electrode inthe form of an elecelectrode 3 I place starting-bands 8 8, the 5 tricstrain, which is created when current is lower ends of thestarting-bands being variapplied at the terminals. The breaking downously disposed with relation to the surface of of this reluctancesupervenes when this strain the electrode. The upper ends of said start-4 is increased by the application of a critical ing-bands maybeconnected one at a time strain tending to overcome the reluctance atwith a switch-arm 9, which is pivoted at any 9 the electrode. Themeasure of the pressure convenient point, and is connected by a wire tobe applied in order to start the apparatus 10 with the leading-in wire iat the opposite into operation is the degree of critical strain side ofthe apparatus. Owing to the charac- 45 required for this purpose. It hasbeen found teristics set forth in the preamble of this specconvenient toutilize as a point of application ification, it is manifest that theapparatus will of the critical strain the starting-band, which startunderlower pressure if the switch-arm usually forms a part of the vaporapparatus is connected with the starting-band which exand which may beeither a ring of metal foil tends in Fig. 1 below the surface of thenegative electrode. The pressure required for starting may then be increasedbymoving the switch-arm into connection with one or the other of themore remote starting-bands. In this way the desired feature ofadjustability is obtained.

In Fig. l the starting-bands are applied only to the electrode at oneend of the apparatus, in consequence of which the breaking down willtake place under ordinary conditions only at the electrode selected, andthe dischargecurrent will pass through the apparatus from the positiveelectrode 2 to the negative electrode 3. In Fig. 2 the discharge maytake place in either direction, inasmuch as I provide starting-bands 8 88 in proximity to each of the electrodes. I also provide means forshifting the connections of the several starting-bands, so as to varythe pressure at either electrode under which the breakingdown strainmust be applied. In other respects the action of the device illustratedin Fig. 2 is identical with that of the device already described that isto say, the main essential difference is that the apparatus of Fig. 2 isadapted to permit discharges in opposite directions, while the device ofFig. 1 permits such discharge only in a single direction.

It is obvious that the switch-arms 9 in the apparatus illustrated inFig. 2 might be operated independently in case it should be desired toadapt the apparatus to discharge under different pressures in oppositedirections.

As a simple variant of the apparatus described and shown herein I maymention the employment of a vertical adjustable ring surrounding one orboth of the electrodes. The action is obvious.

I claim as my invention- 1. An adjustable discharge device comprising asuitable container, electrodes at least one of which is ofdisintegrating material, and a conducting gas or vapor, in combinationwith means for creating within limits any desired initial strain at thecontact of the gas orvapor and the disintegrating electrode.

2. An adjustable vapor-discharge device comprising a hermeticallysealedcontainer, positive and negative electrodes therein, and an inclosed gasor vapor, in combination with means for creating within limits anydesired initial strain at the contact of the gas or vapor and thenegative electrode.

3. An adjustable discharge device comprising a suitable container,positive and negative electrodes therein and an inclosed conducting gasor vapor, in combination with means external to the container forcreating within limits any desired initial strain at the contact of thegas or vapor and the negative electrode.

at. A discharge device comprisinga conducting gas or vapor andelectrodes therefor, such device being characterized by the property ofrequiring the application of a critical strain in order to break downits initial reluctance to starting, in combination with a plurality ofstarting-bands arranged at varying distances from the surface of one orboth of the electrodes, and means for making appropriate electricalconnections with any one of the several starting-bands at will at eitheror both electrodes.

5. An adjustable discharge device comprising an inclosed conducting gasor vapor and electrodes therefor, an electric circuit connected to thesaid electrodes and adapted to impressupon the said device a definiteelectromotive force, in combination with means for creating withinlimits any desired initial strain at the contact of the gas or vapor andthe negative electrodes.

6. A discharge device comprising an inclosed conducting gas or vapor andelectrodes therefor, an electric circuit connectedto the said electrodesand adapted to impress upon the said device a definite electroniotiveforce, in combination with one or more starting-bands, and means forvarying the effective relations of the starting band or bands and thenegative electrode.

7. A discharge devicecomprising an inclosed conducting gas or vapor andelectrodes therefor, an electric circuit connected to the saidelectrodes and adapted to impress upon the said device a definiteelectromotive force, in combination with one or more starting devices,and means for varying the etfectiverelations of the starting device ordevices and the negative electrode.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this lath day of February, A. D. 1903.

PERCY H. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

\V M. H. Caren, Gnomes H. STOCKBRIDGE.

